How does a contemporary art institution–places that are notoriously elitist–provide a thriving cultural center in a town's that on the periphery of Iceland and the world? The Hafnarborg Centre of Culture and Fine Art is a contemporary art gallery and collection in the heart of downtown Hafnarfjörður, an old port town ten kilometers south of Reykjavík. They take their responsibility as the only art museum very seriously. I sat down with Director Ágústa Kristófersdóttir to learn more.

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Museums in Strange Places is a podcast for people who love museums, stories, culture, and exploring the world. This year, the podcast focuses on museums in Iceland. 

Subscribe to Museums in Strange Places and you can expect fascinating conversations with Icelandic museum professionals, world class exhibitions, private museums in gas stations, an introduction to Icelanders and their knack for storytelling, and a unique window into the inner workings of museums on this strange but wonderful little island.

Get bonus material from each episode (photos, further reading, links) at hhethmon.com. Use the hashtag #MuseumsinStrangePlaces on social media.

The podcast is hosted by Hannah Hethmon, an American Fulbright Fellow living in Reykjavík. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @hannah_rfh or on the web at hhethmon.com. Hannah has a BA in English Literature from the University of Maryland, College Park and an MA from the University of Iceland in Medieval Icelandic Studies. After completing her MA, she spent two years as the Marketing Coordinator for the American Association for State and Local History, a Nashville-based national nonprofit dedicated to serving history museums, historical societies, and other public history institutions.

Music Credits: Heim til míns hjarta

Lag og texti: Marteinn Sindri Jónsson

Útsetningar fyrir blásturshljóðfæri: Eiríkur Rafn Stefánsson

Arna Margrét Jónsdóttir, söngur

Birkir Blær Ingólfsson, saxófónn

Eírikur Rafn Stefánsson, flügelhorn

Kári Hólmar Ragnarsson, básúna

Kristófer Rodriguez Svönuson, trommur

Marteinn Sindri Jónsson, söngur og píanó

Tómas R. Einarsson, kontrabassi 

Hljóðupptaka: Róbert Steingrímsson